PORT TOWNSEND — The construction of a research center that will act as a repository for historical artifacts began with a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday afternoon.
About 20 people participated, signaling the beginning of the construction process for the new 7,800-square-foot facility.
“It has been a bumpy road to get this started,” said project manager Gee Heckscher.
“So it makes sense for us to start this by digging into frozen ground.”
The new $1.25 million building will be located on a 4-acre site at 13694 Airport Cutoff Road (state Highway 19).
Originally, the building was slated for completion in October, but funding sources fell through.
Two recent grants put the project over the top.
“We ended up with more money than we expected for the project,” Heckscher said.
Completion this year
The building, which is now scheduled to be completed sometime this year, is intended to consolidate the museum’s collection of about 20,000 artifacts that are not on display but are currently housed in several storage rooms around the county.
“Some of the space we are using to store artifacts is needed for other purposes, so this new building gives us the opportunity to put everything in one place,” said museum Executive Director Bill Tennent.
“To be able to put all of our collections together is a dream come true.”
The current research facility was opened in 2002 and was expected to last 20 years but was stretched to its limit after just two years, Tennent said.
Tennent said the current facility will be converted into a reading room, while all the materials will be stored in the new building and brought out to researchers at their request.
Tennent likened the system to a rare book room at a library where items are accessible to anyone who asks but are still tightly controlled.
As the project was scaled down, a round reading room was removed from the plan but will be constructed in the project’s next phase.
“This center will be a major part of the educational infrastructure of Jefferson County,” Tennent said.
________
Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.